Re: SPSs and the candidates (was: Re: History's Worst Presidential Candidate)

From: Alex Terrell (alexterrell_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 10/25/04 

Date: 25 Oct 2004 15:29:33 -0700

"Mike Walsh" <mp1walsh@adelphia.net> wrote in message news:<3JadnW_gK7Rd2-HcRVn-2A@adelphia.com>...

> Well, Rand's argument is that after the SPS is far enough down the
> development curve that the normal conditions of supply and demand
> and standard economic conditions will apply.
>
> I doubt that this will be true for early versions of SPS that will be
> test versions.

I think it'll be true for the first "Earth aimed" SPS, which will be
able to charge a significant premium for its electricity.

> My belief is that the first uses would be "off world"
> although you may quite properly say that isn't really SPS as we
> normally understand the term.
>
> That is correct, but the first step to getting a practical SPS is to
> develop the large amount of solar power required and you could
> probably test micro-wave power transmission to the lunar
> base that I suspect will be there well before a large and
> economical SPS can be developed.
>
Or, for example, SPS to power electric propulsion to bring back NEO
materials. As production is ramped up to get ever bigger NEOs, the SPS
for these missions would be about double what's avaiable for Earth
Orbiting SPS.

> SPS as an operational item can be a selling point for developing
> the space power systems but , in my opinion, it won't happen at
> all unless they are developed for use to provide space operational
> desires.
>
I think they can be a powerful driver for development, but at the
moment, without CATS, the pay back period is too long.

> Mike Walsh

Relevant Pages

  • Re: New space settlement article
    ... >> controls only processing speed assuming equally powerful power sources. ... >> from simply not launching regolith and processing it instead. ... > space via mass driver will make orbital SPS over twice as expensive as LPS, ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Solar Power Satellites (Was: Re: Why Mars?)
    ... > It would be cool if we could deploy solar-collector satellites in high orbit ... > and somehow get their collected energy down to the surface. ... and NASA jointly studied the SPS during that decade. ... "The amount of power available to consumers from one such SPS is 5 ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
  • Solar Power Satellites (Was: Re: Why Mars?)
    ... > It would be cool if we could deploy solar-collector satellites in high orbit ... > and somehow get their collected energy down to the surface. ... and NASA jointly studied the SPS during that decade. ... "The amount of power available to consumers from one such SPS is 5 ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: ...Nasa/Griffin LYING about Public Support for Moon/Mars Missions!
    ... power in space, which means SPS will not put humans in space. ... SPS would certainly provide that. ... people making footprints on Mars in the future, ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: EMC SAN
    ... - Turn off power to each SPS ... ultra-certain it's the SPS, otherwise you risk losing data in cache. ... goes to first drive enclosure. ... its better to shut down the array than leave it as it is...if ...
    (comp.arch.storage)